Workshops are open to serious students of all levels unless specified in course description; beginners welcome.

Enrollment for summer 2017 workshops is currently open. All applications received by 5 PM on February 11 will be placed into an early application lottery. Remaining spaces will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Scholarship applications are due February 17.

books and paper

Susan Joy Share, Be the Queen Bee, paper, board, cloth, acrylic,

cord, wire, beads, photos, ribbon, felt, 15-1/2 x 24 x 4 inches

Susan Joy ShareBooks & Boxes

Books and boxes are a natural fit. They may be a set or structurally integrated. They can enhance each other and the experience of opening and discovery. We’ll experiment with formats, including books sewn on tapes, paper enclosures, cloth-covered folding boxes, and Jacob’s Ladder boxes. We’ll generate content with paint, pencil, crayon, and collage. Students will create unique pieces as we fold, sew, glue, wrap, reveal, and engineer. This hands-on workshop includes demonstrations, lectures, and sample books. All levels. Code 07B

Many potters are making functional pottery or sculpture but feel limited as to their glaze formulas or application techniques. This hands-on workshop will introduce several simple methods that will enable students to formulate their own glazes and adjust existing glazes for temperature range, color, and texture. Each student will make test tiles using their own glaze formulas. We’ll discuss the causes of and corrections for common glaze defects. Students are welcome to bring questions and examples of clay and glaze defects they have experienced. All levels. Code 07CA

Working with soft slabs, handbuilding construction techniques, templates, and simple molds, students will create a variety of functional pottery forms including cups, tumblers, pouring pots, vases, platters, and one-of-a-kind presentation pots. We’ll emphasize good form, surface texture, and pattern. Discover new ways to create handbuilt, mid-range stoneware pots using minimal tools and equipment. This workshop is especially suitable for educators and students new to handbuilding. We’ll discuss glazes, but, because of limited time, we’ll bisque fire only. All levels. Code 07CB

This workshop will explore drawing, image generation and collection, and book making. Students will create “notebooklets” working from the theme outer nature/inner nature. Students will make these using techniques they are already comfortable with, which could include drawing, photography, image transfer, and editing (including digital layout). Then we’ll scan them and create digitally-printed editions. These will be collated and assembled into books using Coptic binding. Each student will have a hand-sewn book filled with work from the group. Intermediate/advanced level; for students with an ongoing art practice who are prepared to work with existing technical skills. Code 07D

This workshop is designed to equip students with the fundamentals needed to create blown glass forms. Instruction time will be divided between daily demonstrations and plenty of individual attention. We’ll emphasize technique, good habits, problem-solving methods, and the importance of teamwork. We’ll cover shop and tool functions, gathering glass, bubble setup, shaping, and color application. Bring your sketchbook, a positive attitude, and an open mind. Beginning level. Code 07GA

While covering basic flameworking techniques, this workshop will meander through a compendium of strategies for building detailed structures in borosilicate glass. We’ll emphasize small, simple motifs as units of larger, complex constructions. Students will build skills through exercises, technique samples, and demonstrations. We’ll cover the construction of a piece from idea to sketch to full-scale drawing to armature to building a scaffold and bridging to finishing. All levels. Code 07GB

This workshop will focus on creating vessels from formed and fabricated steel. We’ll begin by experimenting with contemporary form as we use drawing and tarpaper templates to design a functional or sculptural vessel. After we cover different cold connection and sheet metal joinery techniques, we’ll assemble multiple pieces to gain volume. Various finishing techniques and patina/color applications will give you the skill to create a finished vessel and allow you to create surprising surfaces. This workshop will be informative to anyone who wants to experiment with form, line, texture, and color on steel. All levels. Code 07I

Through fabrication methods and proper soldering techniques, students will learn to create secure settings that trap objects in their jewelry. We’ll discuss prong setting, tab setting, and bezel setting as ways to secure any kind of object. We’ll also learn a variety of soldering techniques using the Smith Little Torch, which will help students add surprising and delightful details to their work. Although this is a technique-based class, we’ll also discuss design, layout, and process. Tips and tricks will be shared throughout. Students can expect to finish several projects using their own designs. All levels. Code 07MA

In this workshop students will learn to create a clean, durable, and colorful finish on jewelry and other small metal objects through the industrial process of powder coating. We’ll cover basic methods of application, experiment with alternative processes, and discuss the equipment needed for a powder coating set-up. We’ll make pieces to play with, and students will be encouraged to bring finished pieces, unfinished projects, and lots of metal objects to powder coat. This workshop will provide a practical and accessible finishing option that can easily be integrated into any studio practice. All levels. Code 07MB

This workshop will explore the fundamentals of screen-printing and the broad versatility of this process. We’ll use hand-drawn imagery to create colorful, multi-layer screen-prints. Students will tackle photo-emulsion, hand-drawn films, rubylith, editioning, color layering, registration, and more in this densely packed workshop. Perfect for people who love to draw! All levels. Code 07X

This workshop will cover the fundamental skills of letterpress printing including typesetting and image-making. Students will hand-set type and explore the use of ornaments, pressure printing techniques, and pochoir. Beginners will learn all the basics and produce an engaging piece that pairs text and image, while more advanced students will plan more complex projects such as broadsides, French folds, or small chapbooks. All levels. Code 07L

Studio artist; works on drawings, prints, and books based on her interests in early modern natural philosophy, language, and translation.

This is a workshop for learning to create art through inlay and overlay using fine leather, such as chrome-tanned kangaroo and calf. We’ll make several small leather projects and finish with an opportunity for each student to design and create a unique project of their own. All levels. Code 07TA

Bootmaker; teaching: Hiko Mizuno College (Tokyo), Penland; 2010, 2013, 2016 Gold Medal at the triennial International Shoemaker’s Days (Germany); work published in The Art of Leather Inlay and Overlay (Schiffer).

This workshop will explore a maximalist aesthetic in drawing and embroidery. Through doodling, collage, and contour line drawing, we’ll use our sketchbooks to collect images and patterns. Students will learn a bevy of surface embellishment techniques—including hand embroidery, drawing with the sewing machine, appliqué, and reverse appliqué—improvising and using chance to create new ways of accumulating marks. Starting with traditional embroidery, students will develop their own vocabulary of mark making and additive processes to create dense designs. All levels; comfort with a sewing machine will be helpful. Code 07TB

Our workshop will explore the science and art of planing wood by hand. We’ll use a variety of metal and wooden planes and spokeshaves, experimenting with their specialized strengths: from flat work to curved, shaving end grain to smoothing spindles. Students will also make their own wooden hand plane and learn how to tune and use it. We’ll discuss ways of designing custom tools to solve particular problems and ways of incorporating toolmaking into our practice. All levels. Code 07W